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CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Thursday morning at 10, Garret and I pick up Frank and Ryan at the airport. I’m so excited to see them. I run up to Frank first and give him a huge hug. Then I give Ryan a hug.

“I can’t believe I’m here for your wedding,” Ryan says. “I gotta tell you, Jade, I almost passed out when you told us back in May.” He looks at Garret. “I thought you’d have to wait at least 10 years for her to say yes.”

“She didn’t make it easy,” Garret says.

Ryan laughs. “Yeah, I’m sure she didn’t.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” I ask. He doesn’t answer.

“I wasn’t surprised,” Frank says, a smug smile on his face. “I didn’t think the wedding would be this soon, but I knew you two would get married.”

Garret and Ryan grab the luggage off the conveyor belt and we all go out to the car. We took Garret’s car because it’s roomier than mine. I sit in the back seat with Frank and let Ryan sit up front.

“So how do you like the BMW?” Garret asks Ryan.

“Are you kidding? It’s great. Of course, anything would’ve been an improvement over my old car. I just wanted to replace that thing with something that worked, but then I ended up with a BMW.” He looks back at Frank. “Thanks again, Dad.”

Frank just smiles. It makes me so happy to see Frank and Ryan no longer struggling to make ends meet. The best thing about getting that money from Arlin and Grace was being able to give some to Frank.

When Ryan asked his dad where the money came from, Frank said it was left to him by an uncle who died and had no children to leave his fortune to. It’s the long-lost-uncle story I told him to use. I didn’t think he’d actually use it but he did and Ryan believed him.

After I transferred the money to Frank, he put some of it in a separate account for Ryan. That’s what Ryan used to buy the car. He ended up buying a BMW. He started looking at them online after I told him about mine and the more he looked at them, the more he wanted one. He bought a three series. He could afford the more expensive series but he couldn’t bring himself to spend that much on a car. When you’re not used to having money and you finally get it, it can be hard to part with it.

Frank got a car, too. Actually it’s a small SUV. Back when his health was really bad, he wasn’t able to drive but the doctor said he can now. He can’t take a long road trip, but he can drive around town. The SUV is a good choice because it sits higher off the ground so it’s easier for him to get in and out of than a car. He shopped around a lot before he bought it, then decided to get a Honda. It’s new but it wasn’t super expensive. Just like Ryan and me, Frank has a difficult time spending money after not having any for so long.

“They’ll be talking cars all weekend,” Frank says to me.

“Yeah, I know,” I say, smiling. “It’s good they get along because after Saturday, they’ll kind of be like brothers. Not exactly, but kind of.”

“Are you getting nervous about Saturday?”

“No. Are you? You have to walk me down the aisle. That’s a big job.”

He pats my hand. “I think I can handle it.”

Frank’s doing really well, healthwise. He hasn’t even been using his wheelchair. He’s gained some weight, too, and looks much stronger than he did just a few months ago.

When we get to our place, Garret and Ryan walk over to my white BMW convertible which is sitting in the driveway.

“We’ll be right back,” Garret says to me, tossing the car keys to Ryan. “He wants to take it for a drive.”

“Ryan, you just got here. Don’t you want to come inside first? Or check out the beach?”

“I will, but I gotta try out the convertible first. We won’t be gone long.” He gets in the driver’s side and Garret gets in the passenger side and they take off.

“Boys,” I say, showing Frank to the door.

Frank laughs. “Ryan’s changed a lot since you gave us that money. He sleeps better. He’s eating better. He’s not so serious. I can’t thank you enough for doing that for us.”

“I loved doing it for you. I love that you guys don’t have to worry about money anymore.” I lead him past the living room over to the kitchen. “Are you hungry? I can make you something.”

“No, just some water would be good.”

I take the pitcher from the fridge and pour him some. “Grace is coming over later with Garret’s dad and Lilly. You’ll finally get to meet them.”

Frank doesn’t say anything.

“What’s wrong? You don’t want to meet them?”

He shakes his head. “It’s not that. I just need to get over the fact that Grace is a Sinclair. I know she’s your grandmother, but she’s also Royce’s mother.”

“Frank, she didn’t have anything to do with what he did to my mom. Royce wasn’t raised to be like that. Her other son isn’t like that. Well, I’ve never met him but she makes him sound nice.”

“You’re right. I shouldn’t judge her for that. I’m sure we’ll get along just fine.” He glances around the room. “This place is bigger than I thought it would be. You kept calling it a condo so I thought it would be in a building, more like an apartment.”

“Yeah, it’s not a condo. They call it a detached townhouse. We looked at a lot of condos before we found this place so I was mixing up the terms. I’m glad we got the townhouse. I like it being separate instead of in a building.”

“Are you going to give me a tour?”

“Sure. Let’s start upstairs.”

I give him the tour, then we sit out on the deck. Ryan and Garret get back an hour later.

“That wasn’t exactly a quick trip,” I say to Garret as he sits in the chair next to me.

“Yeah, well, your brother insisted we drive up the coast and I couldn’t get him to turn around.”

Ryan takes a seat next to Frank. “The views were incredible. And this weather is great. Not too hot, not too cold. I think we need to move here, Dad. What the hell are we doing in Iowa?”

Frank laughs. “Well, let’s see. You’re in love with a girl who lives there, for one.”

Ryan shrugs. “I could convince her to move.”

“So you liked the car?” I ask Ryan.

“I love it. I mean, I love mine, too, but if I were to get a convertible, that’s the one I’d get.”

“It’s all yours while you’re here.” Garret turns to me. “I told him he could use your car instead of mine. I knew he’d want the convertible.” Garret puts his arm around the back of my chair and leans over to kiss my cheek.

“Hey, get your hands off my sister!” Ryan says.

Garret quickly takes his arm back.

Ryan laughs. “I’m kidding, man. You’re marrying her in two days. I don’t care if you kiss her.”

“That was mean, Ryan,” I kid.

It’s weird because I’m not used to Ryan joking around. He’s usually so serious.

Garret gets up. “Can I get you something?” he asks Ryan and Frank. “A drink or something to eat?”

“I’d take a soda,” Ryan says. “Any kind.”

“I’m good,” Frank says, holding up his water.

“Jade, you want anything?” Garret’s standing behind my chair.

“I’ll take a soda.” I tilt my head back for a kiss.

He kisses my forehead instead of my lips, then goes inside to get the drinks.

“Ryan! Look what you’ve done. Now he won’t even kiss me.”

“He kissed you. I just saw him.”

I roll my eyes.

While Garret’s inside getting the drinks, his dad arrives with Lilly and Grace. Lilly runs up to the deck, then stops when she sees the strangers sitting there.

“It’s okay, Lilly.” I go over and take her hand, leading her to the table. “This is Frank. And this is Ryan.”

They both say hello to her but she doesn’t say hi back. Instead she steps closer to me, hugging my side. She’s not good with strangers since her parents never let her out of the house.

“Is he your dad?” she asks, pointing at Frank.

“Yes.” I keep my eyes on Frank as I say it. “He’s my dad.” I’ve never said that out loud before. Frank gets a huge grin on his face.

“And Ryan is my brother,” I tell her.

She relaxes her arms a little. “Garret’s my brother,” she tells Ryan.

Ryan smiles at her. “Yeah, he told me all about you.”

“My brother’s a really fast swimmer.” She lets me go and talks to Ryan. “He was on a swim team and everything.”

Garret comes out with the drinks and sets them on the table. Then he picks up Lilly. “What did you do this morning?”

“Grace took me to the park and I climbed on the bars.”

“’Cause you’re a monkey?” He tickles her.

“I’m not a monkey.” She giggles and squirms until he puts her down.

Pearce helps Grace up the steps to the deck.

“Hello, everyone,” Pearce says. “You must be Frank.” He holds his hand out to Frank. “Pearce Kensington. Nice to finally meet you.”

Frank stands up and shakes his hand. “Nice to meet you as well.”

“And you must be Ryan.” Pearce extends his hand to him and they shake.

Ryan seems nervous. It is kind of nerve-wracking to meet a billionaire who’s somewhat well-known. Plus, Pearce is intimidating with his deep voice and large stature.

“And this is Grace Sinclair.” Pearce steps aside and Grace shakes hands with Frank and Ryan.

“Nice to meet you both,” she says.

“And you as well,” Frank says as he gives her his chair.

“I’ll go get some more chairs.” Garret leaves and comes back with some folding chairs we borrowed from Harper. She and Sean come over as well and we do the introductions again. Harper’s parents show up around 5, making for a very crowded deck.

Sean and Garret set up a long table on the beach and we eat dinner out there. Sean made the entire meal after spending all day yesterday prepping food for the wedding. It’s so sweet of him to do all this for us.

Later that night, Garret makes a bonfire on the beach and we bring our chairs out and sit around it. Harper shows Lilly how to make s’mores. Lilly’s never had one before.

Harper just met Lilly and she already loves her. Earlier in the day, she showed Lilly her room and Lilly got so excited when she saw all of Harper’s pink clothes. Her sparkly headbands were also a hit. And Lilly really loved Harper’s nail polish collection, which is huge and all different shades of pink. The two of them are both obsessed with pink so I figured they’d get along.

As I look at everyone sitting around the bonfire I can’t stop smiling. Grace is talking to Frank, Ryan is talking to Sean, and Pearce is helping Lilly roast marshmallows as Harper assembles another s’more. And Harper’s parents are holding hands, watching the fire burn.

Seeing them all here, I feel like I finally have a family. A real family. People who care about me. I know I had Frank and Ryan for most of my teen years, but before I met Garret, I didn’t realize how much they cared about me. I used to keep Frank and Ryan at a distance, like I kept Garret at a distance. But as I started to open up more to Garret, I started opening up more with everyone. And now I can see how much Frank and Ryan love me. And I can see what a great friend Harper is, and I can accept and love Grace as my grandmother even knowing what her son did to my mom. I owe all of that to Garret. I wouldn’t be here today, feeling this way, if it weren’t for him.

I lean over and kiss him.

“Hey.” He’s holding my hand and he gently squeezes it as he kisses me back. “How’s it going?”

“Good.” I rest my head on his shoulder and smile up at him. “I like this. Everyone here together. Happy. Having a good time.”

He kisses my forehead. “Yeah, it’s nice, isn’t it?”

“Really nice.”

Everyone stays until 10, then goes back to their hotel. As I’m getting ready for bed, I notice how much more relaxed I feel now than I did last night. I had a few moments of panic today, thinking about the organization and what they might do, but then I’d get distracted by something Lilly was doing or something Frank was saying, and the panic would go away.

Pearce said Roth and those other men flew back to New York right after the meeting. I was relieved knowing they’d left town but what really helped me feel better was having everyone around me all day. I felt safe and protected. And loved.

Garret and I get into bed. I shiver a little because tonight the breeze coming in our window is chilly.

“You cold?” he asks.

“A little.”

“You want me to close the window?”

“No. I like hearing the waves.”

He reaches down and pulls up the blanket that we keep at the bottom of the bed, then slips his arm under the sheet and pulls me back against his chest. “I’m going to miss you tomorrow night. You sure you want to stay at Harper’s? Because I really don’t want you to.”

“I know, but it’ll make our wedding night more special. You’ll want me even more if you go without me for a night.”

“I can’t possibly want you any more than I already do.” He says it right behind my ear as his hand dips down under my string bikinis.

My breath catches. “What are you doing?”

“What do you think I’m doing?”

“It’s late and we have to get up early tomorrow. Don’t you want to sleep?”

“If this is my last night with my girlfriend, I don’t give a shit about sleep.”

I turn back to face him. “I didn’t even think about that. This is the last time I’ll spend the night with you being my boyfriend.”

“And I want to have sex with my girlfriend one last time.” He kisses me and I feel my body getting all hot and tingly.

“After we do it here, could we do it in the shower?” My voice is a little too eager.

Garret laughs. “I fucking love you, Jade. And yes, we can do it in the shower.”

Over the course of the night we end up doing it twice in the bed and once in the shower. We didn’t get much sleep, but Friday morning I wake up feeling full of energy. I think I’m on a high from being so excited about the wedding. I’m sure I’ll crash when it’s over but for now I’m wide awake.

The rest of Friday is a complete blur. Everyone comes over to the house late morning and we set up chairs and blankets on the beach and just hang out there all afternoon. Lilly plays in the sand. Frank takes a nap. Grace reads. Harper and her mom talk and read magazines. Garret and his dad surf. Who knew Pearce could surf? Kiefer’s out there surfing, too. Ryan attempts to surf, after a brief lesson from Garret. And I just sit and watch, taking in the scene.

Sean is the only one working, but he won’t let anyone help in the kitchen so we leave him alone. He likes to blast his music and be alone while he cooks.

It’s a fun and relaxing day but it goes way too fast. Andrew, the guy who’s marrying us, shows up at 5 and we have our wedding rehearsal, which isn’t really necessary given how small and informal our wedding is, but we do it anyway. And we let Lilly practice tossing her flower petals around.

Afterward, we have dinner, which of course Sean insisted on making. Tomorrow he hired people from the restaurant he works at to set up and serve everything and clean up afterward. I gave him money and forced him to hire people because I want him to enjoy the reception with Harper and not be hidden away in the kitchen.

Friday night I go next door to stay with Harper. Sean goes over to stay at our place. There’s no bachelor party but Garret ordered pizzas and invited Ryan over and the three guys are watching action films all night.

Harper and I get takeout from a restaurant in town and bring it back to her place. After we eat, she paints my nails and toenails, then does her own.

“I’m going to miss you, Harper,” I say as I watch her paint her big toe with light pink polish.

“Don’t start, Jade.” She keep her eyes on her toes. “I don’t want to cry tonight. I’ll be crying enough at your wedding.”

“I’m just saying this summer is going so fast. School’s only a month away and then we’ll live on opposite coasts.”

A tear drips down her cheek and lands on her freshly painted toe. “Dammit, Jade. Look what you did. Now I have to redo that one.” She sets her polish aside and looks at me. “I was going to say this tomorrow but I’ll just say it now since I’m already crying.” She wipes her cheeks. “You’re the best friend I’ve ever had. The friends I had growing up in LA weren’t that great of friends. They acted nice and came to my parties and we hung out, but I knew they were only friends with me because my dad’s famous and because we have money. And yeah, I have some friends at Moorhurst, but it’s not the same. I’m not friends with them like I am with you.” She sniffles. “Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that.”

I give her a hug. “I feel the same way. I’ve never had a friend like you. You’ll always be my best friend, Harper.”

She smiles and wipes the tears from her face.

I reach over to the table next to us and grab the box of tissues. “Sorry I made you cry.”

“It’s fine.” She takes a couple tissues from the box. “I already cried earlier today. And last night. I cry way too much, don’t I?” She laughs.

“Why were you crying earlier today and last night?”

“Just stuff with my parents.”

“Does it have to do with Sean?”

She nods. “They don’t like him so they’re being really mean to him and I can’t figure it out. I mean, yeah, Sean’s not wealthy but he’s a really good person. And he loves me. But for some reason, that’s not enough for them. I don’t want to talk about it. They’ll come around eventually.”

Harper is a talker, so if she says she doesn’t want to talk about something, she really doesn’t want to talk about it, so I don’t ask her about it. I let her lead the conversation for the rest of the night, which of course means we end up talking about guys and kissing and sex.

She considers this my bachelorette party so she gets her laptop out and pulls up photos of naked men. I’ll admit the guys are really hot but they don’t do much for me. I have my own guy who’s way hotter and right next door. Looking at all these guys just makes me miss Garret. I can’t wait to be with him tomorrow night.